Dr. Todd Gabe’s research exposes divide across U.S. metros in workforce vulnerability due to Covid-19

SOE Professor Todd Gabe and Professor Richard Florida of the University of Toronto conducted an analysis of the workforces of large U.S. metropolitan areas to assess their variation in exposure and vulnerability to the coronavirus. Using detailed data resources on occupational characteristics of workers in different areas, Drs. Gabe and Florida categorized U.S. metro areas based on two key at-risk characteristics of jobs: the degree to which workers interact directly with the public and jobs that require high levels of very close physical proximity to others. Their findings reveal a great divide across large U.S. metros, contrasting the relatively lower exposure and vulnerability of tech hubs such as the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle with tourism hubs such as Tucson, Las Vegas, Miami, and Tampa. Their research stresses that these differences in the types of jobs held by workers have implications for understanding both how hard areas are likely to be hit and for thinking through future economic development strategies. For more details on their analysis and its findings, click here.